The facility, which has a leaky roof and is down to three operational school buses from its usual four, needs improvements, Bonacci said.

“The band-aids just aren’t cutting it anymore,” he said.

Although Perry Roofing will soon fix the dripping fixture, Bonacci has appealed to the community for more support.

So far, Bonacci said, “probably less than $1,000 has come in.”

“I certainly don’t want to take credit away from those who have stepped up and decided to give,” he said. “They’re usually the people who have the least to give, but are the first to write that check.”

Bobby Powell, who enjoys spending his afternoons at the YMCA, said he views the center as “big family” and wants to help restore it.

Powell and another YMCA member are pitching in with two new elliptical machines.

Powell gives, he said, because he believes the community would suffer without a YMCA center.

“If the “Y” went away, most likely I’d say 50-60 percent of these kids would go without,” he said.

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Manuel Zelaya, his brother Daniel and their longtime friend Marc Charbel are in their mid-twenties and co-founders of Lazy Delivery, a business that delivers groceries and other items from physical stores to area residents. They are expanding their business to Tallahassee later this month.

Swamp Head Brewery has moved to a new location and installed solar panels, becoming the first solar-powered brewery in Florida. Their goal has always been to become more sustainable, and they have taken other initiatives such as buying land for preservation and aiding in conservation efforts to do so.

The city of Palatka is revitalizing its downtown through several development projects. At its center is the restoration of four vacant buildings that will contain commercial, residential and retail spaces.

Lucky’s Market is part of a growing trend of businesses opening along NW 13th Street, showing a push toward commercial restoration of the area. Other companies, retailers and small businesses may follow as a result of a more stable local economy.